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Raulish Flame
The Raulish Flame was, according to popular understanding, a weapon of mass destruction deployed by Raulish troops during the first battle of the Winter War of 1733. The Flame was named after a green flare which was fired into the sky during the second hour of the battle, following a ground invasion of Coalition forces led by Verfolger. Shortly after the flare was launched, the entire Harbor experienced a tremor unlike anything previously experienced. The epicenter of the detonation began in the Slups, causing a hundred-foot wide crater that is today the site of Sinkhole Square. From there the detonation rippled outwards, reaching from the Imperial Barracks and Condos in the south up to the Northern Warehouses. The death toll for the explosion is still unclear, though it is estimated that over four hundred Imperial combatants were caught in the explosion and over two thousand Coalition troops were killed. The disparity between the Imperial casualties and Coalition casualties has led to a number of conspiracy theories surrounding the Raulish Flame. Effects on the Imperium The damage from the Raulish Flame to the Harbor was nearly incalculable. Beyond the loss of life, almost half of the Harbor was reduced to rubble, rendering a large portion of Bully Harbor's populace as refugees. The rubble also blocked off access to the Harbor from the docks, preventing much of the Coalition invasion force from landing and rendering the city inhospitable to occupation. Though this caused many Coalition troops to redeploy to other fronts of the War and thereby extend the conflict, it also made the Harbor relatively easy to retake. Following the Winter War, much effort had to be expended to rebuild the Harbor, with the effect that the Slups are still undergoing reconstruction. The Mayor's office has expended hundreds of thousands of gilders on public works projects, contracts and loans to repair the damage, including funds for the creation of Sinkhole Square, a monument to the victims of the Raulish Flame. Despite the funding, the reconstruction is making slow progress, and some have criticized the low quality of housing created by the project. The psychological effects of the Raulish Flame on the Harbor, some have argued, may be greater than the physical effects. The devastation of the Flame, as well as the startling display of technological advancement by Raulish steam-powered landing craft, was taken by many to be a sign that the Imperium was declining as a world power. As a result, ultra-nationalism has been on the rise in the Imperium, often taking the form of anti-foreign sentiment. Conspiracy theories have also arisen around the Raulish Flame, with explanations placing blame across the board. Some accuse the Ministry of War of using the defeat of the Harbor to test a new weapon. Others accuse high-ranking foreigners in the government who originated from Coalition countries, such as Kaden Winder, of collaborating with the Coalition to destroy the Harbor. The most famous of these conspiracy theories originated with the ultra-nationalist tract The Ryalor Threat, which accused the Ryalor Family of planting explosives beneath Bully Harbor to kill Imperial troops, forcing the Imperium to rely on Fyadorian reinforcements and pave the way for an invasion of the Imperium. The Ryalors have vigorously denied this accusation, though it has done little to diminish the animosity to their presence in the Harbor. The Truth behind the Raulish Flame and Project Green Arrow Despite the wide number of conspiracy theories, none have managed to guess the real story behind the Raulish Flame. The flame was actually a network of linked explosives planted throughout the Unsmudgables' tunnel system in case the Harbor should ever fall to foreign occupation. In this event, its creators believed, it was better to destroy the Harbor and its invaders in one fell swoop rather than allow it to be held by the enemy. This zero-sum game was created as a collaboration between Minister of War Nuori Sken, Minister of Niceties Marquo L. Senderjay, Captain of The Skeered of Nothing Kaiea Malikus, and Admiral Mackenroe V. Rokford. The project was referred to by the code name Green Arrow, referencing the signal for its ignition: a single green phosphorous arrow fired into the sky. Only a few beasts outside of its four creators were aware of its existence: the demolition crew tasked with sacrificing themselves to ignite it, and Blademaster Kaden Winder. In the final hour of the battle, Ministers Sken and Senderjay were both killed in conflict with Verfolger forces. Captain Malikus had already fallen in battle, the Mayoral Mansion had been attacked and burned, and Minister of Misanthropy Zilaco Wyndshard and Minister of Commerce Bridger Vorsky were absent from the battle, presumed dead. With defeat all but certain, a message was dispatched to Admiral Rokford warning him to evacuate the Harbor. Instead, Admiral Rokford went directly to the ignition center and triggered Project Green Arrow, causing an explosion that killed himself and most of the combatants in the city. Following the destruction of the Harbor, information surrounding the demolition was sketchy, with conjecture frequently substituted for evidence. To many, the idea that the ministers would destroy their own city and kill their own troops was unthinkable, so instead the commonly accepted explanation was that the blast was a new Raulish weapon. Few beasts in the Harbor know the truth behind Project Green Arrow, especially since Kaden Winder fled to Felmar. One of the few is his adoptive daughter, Bezine D'Oiravere, who barely escaped the blast herself, losing her friend Vin to it instead. Not even the current ministers know the truth of Project Green Arrow. Those few who know the secret are extremely fearful of sharing it, as the impact of such a high-level conspiracy being revealed to Bully Harbor would be unthinkable. Category:History